Windows 8 review

STEP 2
When you get the Windows 8 installation screens, make sure that your language is set correctly and click Next, then Install Now. Enter your licence key into the box provided and clickNext.

Select the ‘I accept the licence terms’check-box and click Next. You’ll get a choice of Upgrade, or Custom. We think that Custom is the better choice and this guide is based on a clean install of Windows. Click Next when done.

STEP 3
Windows 8 should detect your hard disk automatically. If it isn’t, click on the Load Driver button and insert the CD, USB key or floppy disk with the relevant driver. You should need to do this only if you’re using RAID or you have a brand new motherboard that Windows doesn’t recognise.

If you’re using an old hard disk, it’s best to start afresh. Select the partition that contains your old operating system, select Advanced and click Delete. You can also delete any other unwanted partitions this way too. You’re now ready to continue, as if you had a new computer with a fresh hard disk.

For a fresh disk, or an old disk on which you’ve already wiped any partitions, you can just select the Unallocated Space and click Next. Windows will automatically create the necessary disk partitions and perform the installation.

STEP 4
After a process where the Windows 8 files are copied to your hard disk, your computer will reboot. If you’re booting from USB, you may have to remove the drive, or your computer will try and boot into the setup programme all over again. Let the installation do its thing and you’ll get to the setup wizard.

First, pick the colours you want the OS to useand then enter a name for your computer. Click Next and, if you’re not already connected to a network, you’ll be asked to join a wireless network. Select your WiFi network from the list and enter your username and password, then click Connect.

Windows 8 will ask if you want to use Express settings or Customise them. Click Customise, so you can choose exactly how Windows 8 sets itself up.First, you’ve got security settings. The default options are good, with important and recommend updates downloading and installing automatically; there’s no option to only warn of new Updates. Click Next.

Next, you can choose whether to send information to Microsoft or not to help it make the software better. If you’re fine with this anonymous information click Next, otherwise turn off the parts you don’t want to share.

Next, you are asked about online services, such as checking online for solutions to problems. Unless you have a specific reason to turn these settings off, we recommend leaving them alone.

STEP 5
You need to enter your email address to access your PC, which will let you download apps from the Windows Store and access your online content.

You can enter any email address, although you will have to enter a new password and set up some security questions if this address isn’t registered as a Microsoft Account. Follow the wizard through to configure your account and your computer will start for the first time. Log in with your new account details.

STEP 6
Although Windows is now working, you still need to install all the relevant drivers to make sure that everything works smoothly. The trick here is to install any drivers that are for Windows 8; only install Windows 7 drivers if a component isn’t working, such as a printer or scanner.

The first place to start is with your motherboard’s drivers. If you downloaded these earlier, insert the USB key or disc you saved them to. If you couldn’t do this, insert the driver disc that came with your motherboard and follow the onscreen instructions. You’ll need to download the updated drivers later, and then follow these instructions.

For each driver you downloaded, run the associated file. It’s best to start with the chipset driver, but the order afterwards doesn’t matter. If Windows displays any warning messages, just click OK. Be careful, as some files you download are actually just archive files that extract the actual driver files on to your hard disk. If this is the case, navigate to the folder the files were extracted to and run the Setup program that you find there. You’ll probably need to restart your computer after each driver installation.

STEP 7
Windows will install its own graphics drivers for any onboard or dedicated cards that you have. These are fine for running Windows, but you won’t be able to play games properly. For this, you’ll need to install the latest graphics drivers.

Both AMD and Nvidia provide a single driver, so just run the file that you downloaded. If you couldn’t download the drivers earlier, you should do so now. Restart your computer after the graphics driver has installed. Right-click on the desktop, select Screen Resolution and adjust the resolution to match your monitor’s native resolution.

STEP 8
You can now install the other peripherals that you’ve added to your PC. Install the relevant driver files for each device that’s plugged into your motherboard. For USB devices, you need to install the driver file first and, when prompted, connect the device to a USB port. If you’re in any doubt, you should read the manual that came with your peripheral.

STEP 9
Windows 8’s installationonly lets you choose to automatically install updates. To change this press Windows-X and select Control Panel. Type Windows Update into the search bar and click Windows Update.

Click Change Settings and you can use the drop-down menu to select ‘Check for updates but let me choose when to download and install them’. This lets you choose when it’s convenient to update. You can choose any other setting that suits you, but this is our favourite option. Click OK when done.

Press the Windows key, type Windows Update and click Windows Update. Click Install to install the latest updates and make sure your computer’s up-to-date.

STEP 10
Windows 8 has an option to let you create a recovery drive, which you can use if there are problems. Press the Windows key and type ‘recovery’, click Settings and click Create a recovery drive.

Click Next, insert a USB flash drive when prompted (256MB or higher) and select this drive from the list, using its drive letter. Click Next, read the warning that everything on your drive will be deleted and click Create. It will take a while for the process to complete, so sit back and let it do its job. Click Finish when done and keep your USB drive safe.